Game board



Oct. 15, 1946. E JONES 2,409,493

GAME BOARD Filed June 19} 1944 2 Sheets-Sheet 1- Oct. 15, 1946. E. L. JONES GAME BOARD Filed June 19, 1944 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Edward L. Jones awuc/wboz Patented Oct. 15, 1946 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE GAME BOARD Edward L. Jones, Greenville, S. 0. Application June 19, 1944, Serial No. 541,061

1 Claim. (Cl. 273-435) This invention relates to a game board and more especially to a game board for playing such games as Bingo, Lucky, and any other game having a name or slogan with a given number of letters therein and wherein the game board or a plurality of the same are placed on counters with a play-er situated before each board with the master of ceremonies calling out certain numerals to be covered by the operators of the game boards if such numerals appear on the board being used by the operator.

As is well known, in the game of Bingo, Lucky, or any other game of this nature, these boards usually have five columns of numerals, with five numerals in each column and the numerals in the first column are taken from the numerals ranging from one to fifteen, in the second column, the numerals ranging from sixteen to thirty, in the third column the numerals ran ing from thirty-one to forty-five, in the fourth column, the numerals ranging from forty-six to sixty, and in the last column, the numerals range from sixty-one to seventy-five.

The master of ceremonies calls out one numeral at a time from a master sheet having seventy-five numerals thereon. As a numeral is called, if this numeral appears on the game board being used by the player, he usually places a playing object such as a disk over the numeral called. When any player has a parallel row or a vertical row or a diagonal row wherein the faces of all numerals are covered by the playing disks, this player immediately calls the word Bingo, Lucky, or Whatever is the name being used, and this player is the Winner of the prize.

It very often happens that a player will be jostled by passersby or otherwise interferedwith so that his playing board may be moved suddenly to cause displacement of the playing object covering the numerals on his board. This disrupts his setup of the disks on the board, and many times causes confusion.

It is an object of this invention to provide a playing board adapted to be used by the players in a game as above-described whereby when a numeral is called by the master of ceremonies, a member bearing this numeral can be pivoted to turn it upside down so as to expose a letter in large type and a number in small type instead of having the face of the numeral covered by a movable object. Thus when a player has Won his prize, there will be a row of movable members disposed transversely or vertically or diagonally of his playing board having letters thereon the diagonal and horizontal rows of which will spell out the words Lucky or Bingo or whatever word is being used. This type of board prevents dislocation of the members when revolved on their axis and prevents disruption of the record of numerals called by the master of ceremonies.

Although any number of vertical or transverse columns may be used, I have shown a game wherein a five letter word is used which gives five horizontal columns and five vertical columns for the game board. Each pivoted member in a given vertical column has a letter in large case and a numeral in small case on one surface and the same letter and numeral also appear on the other face of the pivoted member except the letter is in small case and the numeral is in large case. The same letter appears on each pivoted member in a given vertical column.

Some of the objects of the invention having been stated, other objects will appear as the description proceeds, when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of my improved game board;

Figure 2 is a bottom plan view looking at the back side of the structure shown in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view with parts broken away, and. being taken along the line 3-3 in Figure 1;

Figure 4 is an isometric View of one of the revoluble members in the game board having the indicia thereon;

Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line 5-5 in Figure 1, and showing a modified form of mounting the indicia members for rotation;

Figure 6 is a cross-sectional View taken along the line 6-6 in Figure 1, and omitting the rotatable members and showing the type of construction in which the members shown in Figure 7 are adapted to be used;

Figure 7 is an isometric view'of a modified form of rotatable member having the indica thereon.

Referring more specifically to the drawings, the numeral Ill indicates a game board having a rectangular frame composed of side pieces H and a planular portion [2. This planular portion l2 has a plurality of openings I3 therein having therebetween vertical ribs l4 and transverse ribs IS. The side pieces ll hold the portion [2 in spaced relation to a table on which it is placed for playing so as to permit rotation of the indicia bearing members. In the form shown in Figure 1, a plurality of wires or rods l6 have their ends secured against rotation in the side members H and penetrate the ribs [4. They also penetrate holes [9 in a plurality of indicia bearing members ll. One of the vertical ribs M has a lip or ledge l8 projecting from the inner side thereof and each revoluble indicia bearing member I! which is frictionally but rotatably mounted on the rods I6 has lips 20 and 2| projecting from opposed edges thereof and from the upper surface of the playing member when in normal position. When a certain numeral is called by the master of ceremonies, all the player has to do is to push down on the upper and lower edge of the indicia bearing member [1 on which the number called appears and rotate it 180 degrees on its axis from the position shown in the left-hand portion of Figure 3 to the position shown in the right-central portion of Figure 3. This will change the position so that instead of a small letter and a large numeral appearing on the upper surface of the board, the surface appearing in Figure 2 will be visible which will show a large letter and its corresponding small numeral. These playing members ll remain in this rotated position until the end of the game and if the operator of a particular hoard secures a vertical column or a horizontal or diagonal column in which all rotatable members ill have been rotated, then he is the winner of the game.

In Figures 5, 6, and 7, a modified form of the invention is shown where instead of having the fixed rod l8 penetrating all of the revoluble members ll, each of the members i! may have projections 25 and 25 extending from each side thereof which are adapted to fit into cavities 21 formed in the ribs I4. In this type of structure, the playing board would be formed of two-ply material, that is, sheets 28 and 29 which would have semi-circular cavities out in the rib portions and after the sheet 2!; is placed in position, the playing members i? with the projections 25 and 26 extending therefrom would be laid into ie semi-circular cavities in the rib portions M on the upper surface of the sheet 29, and then the top sheet 28 would be placed in position and glued or otherwise secured to the sheet 29 which would rotatably and fractionally confine the projections 25 and 26 in the cavities 21.

It is of course understood that ifdesired, the member I! can be made to rotate on a vertical axis instead of a transverse axi as shown in the drawings which would not depart from the spirit of the invention, as it makes no difference as to Whether the playing member I! rotates with an upper side moving towards the operator or away from the operator or whether one side of the playing member is depressed to cause it to rotate on a vertical axis in Figure 1.

In the drawings and specification, there has been set forth a preferred embodiment of the invention, and although specific terms are employed, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only, and not for purposes of limitation, the scope of the invention being defined in the claim.

I claim:

A game board having a plurality of openings formed by vertical and horizontal ribs extending longitudinally and transversely respectively of the board, a planar member mounted for oscillation in each opening by pivot points on opposed sides thereof extending into the vertical ribs, the planar member having outwardly projecting portions near one surface thereof on its two sides which are parallel to its axis of oscillation, each of the horizontal ribs having a projection on one side thereof substantially midway of its top and bottom edges whereby when the planar member is oscillated in one direction one of its projecting portions will lie on top of the projection extending from its associated rib, and when the planar member is oscillated in the reverse direction, its other projecting portion will 40 fit below the projection on the rib.

EDWARD L. JONES. 

